Functional dominance rather than taxonomic diversity and functional diversity mainly affects community aboveground biomass in the Inner Mongolia grassland

Abstract The relationship between biodiversity and productivity has been a hot topic in ecology. However, the relative importance of taxonomic diversity and functional characteristics (including functional dominance and functional diversity) in maintaining community productivity and the underlying mechanisms (including selection and complementarity effects) of the relationship between diversity and community productivity have been widely controversial. In this study, 194 sites were surveyed in five grassland types along a precipitation gradient in the Inner Mongolia grassland of China. The relationships between taxonomic diversity (species richness and the Shannon–Weaver index), functional dominance (the community‐weighted mean of four plant traits), functional diversity (Rao's quadratic entropy), and community aboveground biomass were analyzed. The results showed that (1) taxonomic diversity, functional dominance, functional diversity, and community aboveground biomass all increased from low to high precipitation grassland types; (2) there were significant positive linear relationships between taxonomic diversity, functional dominance, functional diversity, and community aboveground biomass; (3) the effect of functional characteristics on community aboveground biomass is greater than that of taxonomic diversity; and (4) community aboveground biomass depends on the community‐weighted mean plant height, which explained 57.1% of the variation in the community aboveground biomass. Our results suggested that functional dominance rather than taxonomic diversity and functional diversity mainly determines community productivity and that the selection effect plays a dominant role in maintaining the relationship between biodiversity and community productivity in the Inner Mongolia grassland.

• Publication year

  2017

• Venue

  Ecology and Evolution

• Publication date

  2017-02-09

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1002/ece3.2778PMID 28261469PMCID 5330864
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Functional dominance rather than taxonomic diversity and functional diversity mainly affects community aboveground biomass in the Inner Mongolia grassland

  2017cited by this paper
• Intensified wind pollination mediated by pollen dimorphism after range expansion in an ambophilous biennial Aconitum gymnandrum

  2016cited by this paper
• Integrative modelling reveals mechanisms linking productivity and plant species richness

  2016influential reference
• Functional composition rather than species richness determines root characteristics of experimental grasslands grown at different light and nutrient availability

  2016cited by this paper
• Functional identity is the main driver of diversity effects in young tree communities.

  2016influential reference
• Resource Availability Alters Biodiversity Effects in Experimental Grass-Forb Mixtures

  2016cited by this paper
• Explaining forest productivity using tree functional traits and phylogenetic information: two sides of the same coin over evolutionary scale?

  2015cited by this paper
• Species richness, but not phylogenetic diversity, influences community biomass production and temporal stability in a re-examination of 16 grassland biodiversity studies

  2015cited by this paper
• Worldwide evidence of a unimodal relationship between productivity and plant species richness

  2015cited by this paper
• Does functional trait diversity predict above‐ground biomass and productivity of tropical forests? Testing three alternative hypotheses

  2015influential reference
• Explaining maximum variation in productivity requires phylogenetic diversity and single functional traits.

  2015cited by this paper
• Plant Functional Diversity Can Be Independent of Species Diversity: Observations Based on the Impact of 4-Yrs of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions in an Alpine Meadow

  2015influential reference
• Historical landscape dynamics of Inner Mongolia: patterns, drivers, and impacts

  2015cited by this paper
• Trait?based classification and manipulation of plant functional groups for biodiversity?ecosystem function experiments

  2014cited by this paper
• Carbon storage in tropical forests correlates with taxonomic diversity and functional dominance on a global scale

  2014influential reference
• Plant Functional Traits as Determinants of Population Stability

  2014cited by this paper
• Alpha, Beta and Gamma Diversity Differ in Response to Precipitation in the Inner Mongolia Grassland

  2014cited by this paper
• Functional traits composition predict macrophytes community productivity along a water depth gradient in a freshwater lake

  2014influential reference
• Functional diversity increases with species diversity along successional gradient in a secondary tropical lowland rainforest

  2014cited by this paper
• Functional diversity in root and above-ground traits in a fertile grassland shows a detrimental effect on productivity

  2013influential reference
• The importance of rare species: a trait-based assessment of rare species contributions to functional diversity and possible ecosystem function in tall-grass prairies

  2013cited by this paper
• Plant functional traits and nutrient gradients on grassland

  2012cited by this paper
• Relative role of contemporary environment versus history in shaping diversity patterns of China's woody plants

  2012cited by this paper
• Phylogenetic diversity promotes ecosystem stability

  2012cited by this paper
• Using Plant Functional Traits to Explain Diversity–Productivity Relationships

  2012influential reference
• A regional-scale consideration of the effects of species richness on above-ground biomass in temperate natural grasslands of China

  2011cited by this paper
• The functional role of producer diversity in ecosystems.

  2011influential reference
• Influence of four major plant traits on average height, leaf‐area cover, net primary productivity, and biomass density in single‐species forests: a theoretical investigation

  2011cited by this paper
• Functional and phylogenetic diversity as predictors of biodiversity--ecosystem-function relationships.

  2011cited by this paper
• FDiversity: a software package for the integrated analysis of functional diversity

  2011cited by this paper
• Explaining grassland biomass – the contribution of climate, species and functional diversity depends on fertilization and mowing frequency

  2011cited by this paper
• Functional diversity measures: an overview of their redundancy and their ability to discriminate community assembly rules

  2010cited by this paper
• Two-phase functional redundancy in plant communities along a grazing gradient in Mongolian rangelands.

  2009cited by this paper
• Diversity effects in early- and mid-successional species pools along a nitrogen gradient.

  2009cited by this paper
• Global patterns in plant height

  2009cited by this paper
• Functional identity is more important than diversity in influencing ecosystem processes in a temperate native grassland

  2008cited by this paper
• Positive linear relationship between productivity and diversity: evidence from the Eurasian Steppe

  2007cited by this paper
• Effects of different components of diversity on productivity in artificial plant communities

  2007cited by this paper
• Does species diversity limit productivity in natural grassland communities?

  2007cited by this paper
• Quantifying and interpreting functional diversity of natural communities: practical considerations matter

  2006cited by this paper
• Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/joc.1276 VERY HIGH RESOLUTION INTERPOLATED CLIMATE SURFACES FOR GLOBAL LAND AREAS

  2005cited by this paper
• Rao's quadratic entropy as a measure of functional diversity based on multiple traits

  2005cited by this paper
• EFFECTS OF BIODIVERSITY ON ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING: A CONSENSUS OF CURRENT KNOWLEDGE

  2005cited by this paper
• Ecosystem stability and compensatory effects in the Inner Mongolia grassland

  2004cited by this paper
• PLANT FUNCTIONAL MARKERS CAPTURE ECOSYSTEM PROPERTIES DURING SECONDARY SUCCESSION

  2004cited by this paper
• A handbook of protocols for standardised and easy measurement of plant functional traits worldwide

  2003cited by this paper
• ECOLOGICAL STRATEGIES : Some Leading Dimensions of Variation Between Species

  2002cited by this paper
• Leaf traits as indicators of resource-use strategy in floras with succulent species

  2002cited by this paper
• Ecosystem processes and the regeneration niche.

  2001cited by this paper
• WHAT IS THE OBSERVED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPECIES RICHNESS AND PRODUCTIVITY

  2001cited by this paper
• Vive la différence: plant functional diversity matters to ecosystem processes

  2001cited by this paper
• Specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content as alternative predictors of plant strategies

  1999cited by this paper
• Benefits of plant diversity to ecosystems: immediate, filter and founder effects

  1998cited by this paper
• Plant functional types and ecosystem function in relation to global change

  1997cited by this paper
• Distinguishing between the effects of species diversity and species composition

  1997cited by this paper
• Plant diversity and ecosystem productivity: theoretical considerations.

  1997cited by this paper
• Natural grasslands. Eastern hemisphere and resumé.

  1993cited by this paper
• DigitalCommons@UNO DigitalCommons@UNO

  year unknowncited by this paper

• Red and white clover sustain high and stable yields in diversified perennial grasslands under low N input

  2026cites this paper
• Functional trait response to aridity based on leaf trait network analysis in the Hexi Corridor, China

  2025cites this paper
• The functional traits of dominant species exerts strong effects on the biomass of ephemeral plant communities under snow experiment in the arid area, Northwest China

  2025cites this paper
• Precipitation regime drives key alterations in subtropical stream fish community assembly and functional trait distribution across a major rainfall gradient

  2025cites this paper
• Wind farms reduce grassland plant community diversity and lead to plant community convergence

  2025cites this paper
• Driving mechanisms of taxonomic and functional community composition of Collembola during subalpine succession

  2025cites this paper
• Dominant species drive ecosystem multifunctionality under changed precipitation timing in a semiarid steppe.

  2025cites this paper
• Improved management increases soil mineral-protected organic carbon storage via plant-microbial-nutrient mediation in semi-arid grasslands

  2025cites this paper
• Soil bacterial community structure determines its resistance: A case study of aerial seeding restoration in the Mu Us sandy land, China

  2024cites this paper
• Mixed effects of climate and species richness on aboveground carbon stock in subtropical Atlantic forests.

  2024cites this paper
• Climate and soil: Key Drivers of Plant Traits and Community Functional Differences in the Lakeshore Wetlands of Northern China

  2024cites this paper
• Precipitation and plant community-weighted mean traits determine total transpirable soil water in a desert grassland

  2024cites this paper
• Compared with soil fungal diversity and microbial network complexity, soil bacterial diversity drives soil multifunctionality during the restoration process.

  2024cites this paper
• Advancing our understanding of plant diversity-biological invasion relationships using imaging spectroscopy

  2024cites this paper
• Grazing exclusion modulates the effects of different components of plant diversity on biomass production in semiarid rangeland

  2024cites this paper
• Functional Diversity of Seagrass-associated Macrofaunal Assemblages in a Brackishwater Lagoon of India: A multi-trait Approach

  2024cites this paper
• Plant functional trait is a strong predictor of ecosystem productivity under altered precipitation in desert steppes

  2024influential citation
• More effect of ephemeral plant species diversity on aboveground biomass than functional diversity and functional composition

  2023cites this paper
• Promoting effects of soil C and N and limiting effect of soil P jointly determine the plant diversity during the aerial seeding restoration process in Mu Us sandy land, China

  2023cites this paper
• Promotion of Soil Microbial Community Restoration in the Mu Us Desert (China) by Aerial Seeding

  2022cites this paper
• Spatial Variation in Desert Spring Vegetation Biomass, Richness and Their Environmental Controls in the Arid Region of Central Asia

  2022cites this paper
• Classification and sensitivity of taxonomic and functional diversity indices of anurans in the Andean coffee cultural landscape

  2022cites this paper
• Landscape context determines soil fungal diversity in a fragmented habitat

  2022cites this paper
• Species diversity is a strong predictor of ecosystem multifunctionality under altered precipitation in desert steppes

  2022cites this paper
• Community assembly of plant, soil bacteria, and fungi vary during the restoration of an ecosystem threatened by desertification

  2022cites this paper
• Functional Trait Diversity Shapes the Biomass in the Dam-Induced Riparian Zone

  2022cites this paper
• Soil Depth Significantly Shifted Microbial Community Structures and Functions in a Semiarid Prairie Agroecosystem

  2022cites this paper
• Plant and microbial community composition jointly determine moorland multifunctionality

  2022cites this paper
• Climate Effects on Prairie Productivity Partially Ameliorated by Soil Nutrients and Plant Community Responses

  2022cites this paper
• The Role of Inter- and Intraspecific Variations in Grassland Plant Functional Traits along an Elevational Gradient in a Mediterranean Mountain Area

  2021cites this paper
• The relationship between diversity and productivity from a three-dimensional space view in a natural mesotrophic lake

  2021cites this paper
• Direct effects of selection on aboveground biomass contrast with indirect structure-mediated effects of complementarity in a subtropical forest

  2021cites this paper
• Increased grazing intensities induce differentiation of the relationships between functional traits and aboveground plant biomass in shrub‐ and grass‐dominated community in desert steppe

  2021cites this paper
• Drought of early time in growing season decreases community aboveground biomass, but increases belowground biomass in a desert steppe

  2021cites this paper
• Biochar-amended coastal wetland soil enhances growth of Suaeda salsa and alters rhizosphere soil nutrients and microbial communities.

  2021cites this paper
• Interpreting the effects of plant species diversity and genotypic diversity within a dominant species on above- and belowground overyielding

  2021cites this paper
• A Trait-Based Approach for Understanding Changes in Carbon Sequestration in Semi-Arid Grassland During Succession

  2021cites this paper
• Taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic beta diversity in the Inner Mongolia grassland

  2021cites this paper
• Both diversity and functional composition affect productivity and water use efficiency in experimental temperate grasslands

  2021cites this paper
• Vermicompost Application Enhances Halophyte Suaeda salsa Performance and Improves Coastal Saline Soil Quality

  2021cites this paper
• High-resolution remote sensing data can predict household poverty in pastoral areas, Inner Mongolia, China

  2021cites this paper
• Declining Effect of Precipitation on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index of Grasslands in the Inner Mongolian Plateau, 1982–2010

  2021cites this paper
• Community Differentiation and Ecological Influencing Factors along Environmental Gradients: Evidence from 1200 km Belt Transect across Inner Mongolia Grassland, China

  2021cites this paper
• A Trait-Based Approach for Understanding Changes in Carbon Sequestration in Semi-Arid Grassland During Succession

  2021cites this paper
• Vermicompost Application Enhances Halophyte Suaeda salsa Performance and Improves Coastal Saline Soil Quality

  2021cites this paper
• Effects of mixed beech and hornbeam stands on soil properties and plant species diversity indices in Hyrcanian forests of Iran

  2020cites this paper
• The functional diversity of native ecosystems increases during the major invasion by the invasive alien species, Conyza canadensis

  2020cites this paper
• Ecological restoration treatments enhanced plant and soil microbial diversity in the degraded alpine steppe in Northern Tibet

  2020cites this paper
• A meta-analysis of the effect of organic and mineral fertilizers on soil microbial diversity

  2020cites this paper
• Plant traits alone are poor predictors of ecosystem properties and long-term ecosystem functioning

  2020cites this paper
• Ecology and sustainability of the Inner Mongolian Grassland: Looking back and moving forward

  2020cites this paper
• A graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity-ecosystem function correlations.

  2020cites this paper
• Functional identity enhances aboveground productivity of a coastal saline meadow mediated by Tamarix chinensis in Laizhou Bay, China

  2020cites this paper
• Biennial Mowing Maintains the Biomass and Functional Diversity of Semi-Arid Grassland

  2020cites this paper
• Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers. and Solidago canadensis L. antagonistically affect community stability and community invasibility under the co-invasion condition.

  2020cites this paper
• Different Household Livelihood Strategies and Influencing Factors in the Inner Mongolian Grassland

  2020cites this paper
• The relationship between functional richness, functional evenness and functional divergence with ecosystem function in a cold steppe rangeland of Marjan, Boroujen

  2019cites this paper
• Erigeron canadensis affects the taxonomic and functional diversity of plant communities in two climate zones in the North of China

  2019cites this paper
• Functional diversity overrides community-weighted mean traits in linking land-use intensity to hydrological ecosystem services.

  2019cites this paper
• Community-weighted mean traits play crucial roles in driving ecosystem functioning along long-term grassland restoration gradient on the Loess Plateau of China

  2019cites this paper
• Canada goldenrod invasion affect taxonomic and functional diversity of plant communities in heterogeneous landscapes in urban ecosystems in East China

  2019cites this paper
• What is the role of perennial plants in semi-steppe rangelands? Direct and indirect effects of perennial on annual plant species

  2019cites this paper
• Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in naturally assembled communities

  2019cites this paper
• Abiotic and biotic drivers of aboveground biomass in semi-steppe rangelands.

  2018cites this paper
• Relationship between plant functional diversity and productivity of Pinus massoniana plantations in Guangxi

  2018cites this paper
• Use of the Lorenz curve to measure size inequality and growth dominance in forest populations

  2018cites this paper
• Changing Land-Use from Pinus Elliottii to Eucalyptus Bentamii in Southwest Louisiana Affects Understory Vegetation Richness, Diversity, and Functional Diversity Patterns

  2018cites this paper
• Moderate and heavy Solidago canadensis L. invasion are associated with decreased taxonomic diversity but increased functional diversity of plant communities in East China

  2018cites this paper
• The positive relationships between plant coverage, species richness, and aboveground biomass are ubiquitous across plant growth forms in semi-steppe rangelands.

  2018influential citation
• Effects of plant functional diversity induced by grazing and soil properties on above- and belowground biomass in a semiarid grassland

  2018cites this paper
• Functional dominance rather than taxonomic diversity and functional diversity mainly affects community aboveground biomass in the Inner Mongolia grassland

  2017cites this paper
• Designing Biorepositories to Monitor Ecological and Evolutionary Responses to Change

  year unknowncites this paper